Elvis Presley is the best selling solo artist
In U.S. HistoryElvis charted more songs on Billboard's Hot 100 than any
other artist. (149)Elvis spent more weeks at the top of the charts than any
other artist. (80)Elvis had the greatest number of consecutive #1 hits.
(10)Elvis is second only to the Beatles in total of #1 hits.
(18)

According to the RIAA:Elvis is #2 for overall album
sales (117.5 million) (The Beatles sold 166.5 million; Led
Zeppelin, 106 million)Elvis has the most Multi-Plaintum albums
(25) (The Beatles have 24; Led Zeppelin and Barbra
Streisand have 13)

Elvis has more Platinum albums than any other artist
(55) (The Beatles have 37; Barbra Streisand has
30)

Elvis has the most Plaintum singles (27)Elvis has more Gold
albums than any other artist (97) (Barbra Streisand has
51; The Beatles have 42)

Elvis has the most Gold singles (24)

No
wonder they call him The King.

You would never have guessed any of this back in 1953 when a
young worker from the Parker Machinists Shop wandered into the Memphis
Recording Service on his lunch hour to record two songs as a belated birthday
present for his mother. Okay, maybe that's just folklore as this was summer and
Gladys' birthday was in April. Maybe he just wanted to record. That's okay.
Whatever the motivation, it was worth the $3.98 shot.

Presley choose to
record two Ink Spots tunes, "My Happiness" and "That's When Your Heartaches
Begin." What's interesting about the choices is that Sam Phillips, the owner,
also owned Sun Records, an independent record label, and was known to be
looking for a white man who could sing in a black R&B style.

However, Sam Phillips wasn't impressed then or when the young Presley
tried again in January of 1954, when Elvis recorded, "Careless Love" and "I'll
Never Stand In Your Way." (Some say the song was "Casual Love Affair, but the
Sun site says "Careless Love" and that's good enough for me.)

Bill Black, Elvis
Presley, Scotty MooreWhen they first hit the Southern circuit, they were
billed as the Hillbilly Cat and the Blue Moon Boys.

In July of 1954 Elvis was back in the studio singing
"That's Alright Mama" only now at Phillips suggestion, he has Scotty Moore
playing guitar and Bill Black on bass. Phillips, finally recognizing the
potential, knew he had the breakthrough star he had been looking for.
Specifically, Phillips had found a white guy who had the sound and feel of the
black R&B artists he had been recording.

Elvis joined Sun Records
and what would come to be called Sun's "Million Dollar Quartet" - the foursome
of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Presley.

By 1955 Elvis had recorded 5 songs for Sun
Records and gained some popularity in the South. What he also acquired was a
new manager, Col. Tom Parker. Giving Parker his due - the man knew how to
market. Parker launched a campaign aimed at garnishing national exposure for
Elvis.

Elvis first appeared on CBS' Dorsey Brothers Stage
Show. On The Steve Allen Show, he sang "Hound Dog" to a real dog. From his
performance on Milton Berle's Texaco Star Theatre he got the nickname
Elvis the Pelvis - which worried the family minded Ed
Sullivan. By the third performance, Sullivan decided to "crop" Elvis. Thus, the
now famous "from the waist up only" appearance on the Sullivan show. It is
estimated that one of these Sullivan performances was viewed by 52 million
people - one out of every three Americans.

Did you know...Ed Sullivan had a nasty auto accident which
caused him to miss five shows, including the one on September 9, 1956. Actor
Charles Laughton filled in as guest host, and it was he who first introduced
Elvis on the Ed Sullivan Show.

Parker wanted to move Elvis
away from Sun so he began some fancy negotiations. According to the legend,
Parker hawked the contract to Decca, Mercury, Columbia and Atlantic - pitting
them against one another to get progressively higher bids. Ultimately, RCA
bought Elvis' Sun contract for $40,000, a huge sum for that time. Because he
was under 21 and therefore, still a minor, Elvis' father, Vernon had to sign
the contract.

In February of 1956 Elvis recorded his first five songs
for RCA. Among these was Heartbreak Hotel, which quickly rose to the top of the
charts to become Elvis' first Number 1 hit.

The second half of the decade was good to Elvis.
Amazingly, eight of his lifetime Top Ten songs are from the Fifties. This in
spite of the fact that from 1958 through 1959, Elvis was in the U.S.
Army.

With the advantage of hindsight, we all know what the future
would hold for Elvis Presley. Circumstances would catapult Elvis into a stardom
unknown before or since by any single artist. And, the road would wind into a
sad and tragic end. Beyond the Fifties we would never again have the intimate,
close feeling that Elvis evoked. It would be the last time that we felt we
could touch The King.